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Russians and Belarusians back at Wimbledon as war in Ukraine continues

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — When Victoria Azarenka walked into Court 15 on Monday morning for her first Wimbledon match in two years, she was greeted by polite clapping. When the two-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus finished off a three-set victory more than 2 1/2 hours later, Azarenka shook her racket with her right hand and pumped her left fist, then offered a wave to the spectators who were applauding warmly.Unlike her opponent, Yuan Yue, whose nationality was noted on the scoreboard alongside her name, Azarenka had no country listed there. That’s because players from Russia and Belarus are back competing at Wimbledon a year after they were barred by the All England Club because of the invasion of Ukraine — and, in a sort of half-measure adopted by some other sports, are deemed “neutral” athletes who officially do not represent any nation.The war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine with help from Belarus continues, but Wimbledon’s organizers ann...

Rose Leslie and Kit Harington welcome their second child, a daughter

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Actors Rose Leslie and Kit Harington have welcomed their second child.A publicist for Harington confirmed Monday that the couple, who famously met on the set of “Game of Thrones” and are now both 36, have added a daughter to their family. Further details weren’t immediately available.In early 2021, the pair confirmed the birth of a son.Harington and Leslie’s relationship began in 2011 on the set of the HBO megahit series, on which they played star-crossed lovers Jon Snow — a brother of the Night’s Watch with kingdom-shattering secrets — and Ygritte, a rebel wildling. They married in 2018 at Leslie’s ancestral castle in Scotland.Since leaving “Game of Thrones” in 2014, Leslie has starred in the legal drama “The Good Fight,” sci-fi romance series “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and the Kenneth Branagh-directed Agatha Christie remake “Death on the Nile.” Since “Game of Thrones” concluded in 2019, Harington has had roles in the anthology shows “Mod...

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, grandson of Robert De Niro, dies at 19

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, a grandson of Robert De Niro, has died at 19.His mother, Drena De Niro, announced the news Monday in an Instagram post.“I don’t know how to live without you but I’ll try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama,” she wrote. “You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you.”Drena De Niro shared Leandro with artist Carlos Mare, who posted black squares sans caption on his Instagram accounts.“I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo. We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo,” Robert De Niro said in a statement.Further details were not immediately available. Messages to a representative for Drena De Niro was not immediately returned.In response to a request to confirm a TMZ report that Leandro was found in a New York apartment, New York City police ...

Israelis protest at international airport against judicial overhaul plan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Israelis blocked traffic and snarled movement at the country’s main international airport on Monday, the latest mass demonstration over Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious planned judicial overhaul that has divided the nation.The Netanyahu government’s push to pass several overlapping reforms to the country’s judiciary have plunged Israel into an unprecedented crisis and divided an already highly polarized country. Protesters waving Israel’s blue-and-white national flag and blowing horns blocked the main thoroughfare outside Ben Gurion Airport’s main terminal and demonstrated inside the arrivals hall. Police said officers arrested at least four people for public disturbance. Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox political allies are pressing ahead with plans to pass several contentious changes to Israel’s judicial system after attempts to reach a compromise with opposition lawmakers disintegrated. The planned overhau...

US measure would ban products containing mineral mined with child labor in Congo

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A measure has been introduced in the U.S. House to ban imported products containing minerals critical to electric vehicle batteries but mined through child labor and other abusive conditions in Congo, where China has enormous mining stakes.The bill targets China, which sponsor Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey says uses forced labor and exploits children to mine cobalt in the impoverished but resource-rich central African country. Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, a key pillar of President Joe Biden’s climate plans. China controls the majority of the cobalt mines in Congo, strengthening Beijing’s position in the global supply chain for electric vehicles and other products.“On the backs of trafficked workers and child laborers, the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting the vast cobalt resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo to fuel its economy and global agenda,” Smi...

“A preoccupation with failure.” Why the Titan submersible was doomed from the start

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

HALIFAX — The company behind the submersible that imploded during a recent dive to the Titanic ignored key principles that guide organizations working in high-risk environments, experts in emergency management say.Jack Rozdilsky, a professor at York University in Toronto,  says OceanGate’s business — ferrying paying passengers to the floor of the North Atlantic — could be compared to the immensely risky work of companies that launch space flights, drill for offshore oil, fight wildfires or operate nuclear power plants.“These are high-reliability organizations (HROs) that operate in complex, high-hazard domains for extended periods of time without serious accidents or catastrophic failures,” Rozdilsky, a professor of disaster and emergency management, said in a recent interview. “OceanGate does not appear to have functioned as a high-reliability organization.”The professor cited three key attributes shared by HROs:— They are reluctant to simplify. ...

Peter Hellyer, prolific writer who chronicled the UAE’s rise over nearly five decades, dies at 75

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Peter Hellyer, a U.K.-born writer who spent nearly five decades chronicling the history, natural beauty and modern transformation of the United Arab Emirates, has died peacefully at the age of 75, local media reported Monday.Hellyer, who was granted UAE citizenship and awarded the country’s highest civilian honor, helped found the state-run WAM news agency and established its English service. He also helped establish an archaeological group that uncovered several historical sites.“(Hellyer’s) passion and devotion to this land and its people will continue to inspire us to continue his legacy in protecting and preserving our environment, monuments, and ancient history,” UAE Culture Minister Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi wrote on Twitter.Hellyer came to the UAE in 1975 to make a documentary film about Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and first president of the federation of seven sheikhdoms.He stayed on to chronicle its dramat...

26-year-old man struck and killed by Metra train in Buffalo Grove

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. — A 26-year-old man was struck and killed by a Metra train in Buffalo Grove Monday morning.Buffalo Grove police said the accident happened around 7:40 a.m. at the Prairie View Metra Station, located at 2701 Main Street. Officers and firefighters responded to the scene for the report of a person struck.Upon arrival, emergency crews located a 26-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Swimming at Evanston beaches closed due to elevated E. coli levels Metra Police is conducting an investigation.

Transgender woman applying to compete in Miss Venezuela pageant

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan’s enthusiasm for beauty pageants is unparalleled, and Miss Venezuela — the crown jewel of them all — may be the only event able to unite the deeply divided country. Once a year, class, race and politics are put aside as the South American nation tunes in to see who will represent Venezuela on the global stage.Behind the cheers and claps for the women vying for the coveted title is a deeply conservative society with little to no tolerance for any defiance of heteronormative standards. Sofia Salomón is ready to challenge that.The influencer and Instagram model has applied to take part in this year’s Miss Venezuela contest. If accepted, she will be the first transgender woman to participate.Sofia Salomon holds her dog Barbie at home in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. The influencer and Instagram model has applied to take part in this year’s Miss Venezuela contest. If accepted, she will be the first transgender woman to participate. (...

Man on South Side arrested after 17-year-old critically wounded in Joliet

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was arrested on the South Side Saturday night in connection to the shooting of a 17-year-old boy in Joliet.Earlier in the night, officers responded to a residence in the 900 block of Shiloh Court just after 8:30 p.m. on the report of a person shot.Officers located a 17-year-old boy who sustained two gunshot wounds. He was transported to Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center in critical condition.The boy was then airlifted to Stroger Hospital in Chicago.During the investigation, police allege that Nathaniel Jakes, 19, of Joliet was driving a Dodge Durango that fled the scene. Officers pursued the vehicle, but were unable to stop it.Illinois State Police later told Joliet police that the vehicle was involved in a crash near 71st Street and Racine in Chicago. Jakes was arrested and transported back to Joliet. Firework explodes on suburban man’s face; critical condition He is facing charges of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace offi...